The effects of aging and an episodic specificity induction on spontaneous task-unrelated thought
Autor(a) principal: | |
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Data de Publicação: | 2020 |
Outros Autores: | , |
Tipo de documento: | Artigo |
Idioma: | eng |
Título da fonte: | Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
Texto Completo: | http://hdl.handle.net/10316/106573 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237340 |
Resumo: | When voluntarily describing their past or future, older adults typically show a reduction in episodic specificity (e.g., including fewer details reflecting a specific event, time and/or place). However, aging has less impact on other types of tasks that place minimal demands on strategic retrieval such as spontaneous thoughts. In the current study, we investigated age-related differences in the episodic specificity of spontaneous thoughts using experimenter-based coding of thought descriptions. Additionally, we tested whether an episodic specificity induction, which increases episodic detail during deliberate retrieval of events in young and older adults, has the same effect under spontaneous retrieval. Twenty-four younger and 24 healthy older adults performed two counterbalanced sessions including a video, the episodic specificity or control induction, and a vigilance task. In the episodic specificity induction, participants recalled the details of the video while in the control they solved math exercises. The impact of this manipulation on the episodic specificity of spontaneous thoughts was assessed in the subsequent vigilance task, in which participants were randomly stopped to describe their thoughts and classify them as deliberate/spontaneous. We found no differences in episodic specificity between age groups in spontaneous thoughts, supporting the prediction that automatic retrieval attenuates the episodic specificity decrease in aging. The lack of age differences was present regardless of the induction, showing no interactions. For the induction, we also found no main effect, indicating that automatic retrieval bypasses event construction and accesses pre-stored events. Overall, our evidence suggests that spontaneous retrieval is a promising strategy to support episodic specificity in aging. |
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The effects of aging and an episodic specificity induction on spontaneous task-unrelated thoughtAdolescentAdultAge FactorsAgedAgingFemaleHumansImaginationMaleMental RecallMiddle AgedNon-Randomized Controlled Trials as TopicYoung AdultMemory, EpisodicWhen voluntarily describing their past or future, older adults typically show a reduction in episodic specificity (e.g., including fewer details reflecting a specific event, time and/or place). However, aging has less impact on other types of tasks that place minimal demands on strategic retrieval such as spontaneous thoughts. In the current study, we investigated age-related differences in the episodic specificity of spontaneous thoughts using experimenter-based coding of thought descriptions. Additionally, we tested whether an episodic specificity induction, which increases episodic detail during deliberate retrieval of events in young and older adults, has the same effect under spontaneous retrieval. Twenty-four younger and 24 healthy older adults performed two counterbalanced sessions including a video, the episodic specificity or control induction, and a vigilance task. In the episodic specificity induction, participants recalled the details of the video while in the control they solved math exercises. The impact of this manipulation on the episodic specificity of spontaneous thoughts was assessed in the subsequent vigilance task, in which participants were randomly stopped to describe their thoughts and classify them as deliberate/spontaneous. We found no differences in episodic specificity between age groups in spontaneous thoughts, supporting the prediction that automatic retrieval attenuates the episodic specificity decrease in aging. The lack of age differences was present regardless of the induction, showing no interactions. For the induction, we also found no main effect, indicating that automatic retrieval bypasses event construction and accesses pre-stored events. Overall, our evidence suggests that spontaneous retrieval is a promising strategy to support episodic specificity in aging.Public Library of Science2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://hdl.handle.net/10316/106573http://hdl.handle.net/10316/106573https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237340eng1932-6203Jordão, MagdaPinho, Maria SaloméSt Jacques, Peggy L.info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAP2023-04-11T09:40:16Zoai:estudogeral.uc.pt:10316/106573Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T21:23:00.654495Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
The effects of aging and an episodic specificity induction on spontaneous task-unrelated thought |
title |
The effects of aging and an episodic specificity induction on spontaneous task-unrelated thought |
spellingShingle |
The effects of aging and an episodic specificity induction on spontaneous task-unrelated thought Jordão, Magda Adolescent Adult Age Factors Aged Aging Female Humans Imagination Male Mental Recall Middle Aged Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic Young Adult Memory, Episodic |
title_short |
The effects of aging and an episodic specificity induction on spontaneous task-unrelated thought |
title_full |
The effects of aging and an episodic specificity induction on spontaneous task-unrelated thought |
title_fullStr |
The effects of aging and an episodic specificity induction on spontaneous task-unrelated thought |
title_full_unstemmed |
The effects of aging and an episodic specificity induction on spontaneous task-unrelated thought |
title_sort |
The effects of aging and an episodic specificity induction on spontaneous task-unrelated thought |
author |
Jordão, Magda |
author_facet |
Jordão, Magda Pinho, Maria Salomé St Jacques, Peggy L. |
author_role |
author |
author2 |
Pinho, Maria Salomé St Jacques, Peggy L. |
author2_role |
author author |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
Jordão, Magda Pinho, Maria Salomé St Jacques, Peggy L. |
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv |
Adolescent Adult Age Factors Aged Aging Female Humans Imagination Male Mental Recall Middle Aged Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic Young Adult Memory, Episodic |
topic |
Adolescent Adult Age Factors Aged Aging Female Humans Imagination Male Mental Recall Middle Aged Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic Young Adult Memory, Episodic |
description |
When voluntarily describing their past or future, older adults typically show a reduction in episodic specificity (e.g., including fewer details reflecting a specific event, time and/or place). However, aging has less impact on other types of tasks that place minimal demands on strategic retrieval such as spontaneous thoughts. In the current study, we investigated age-related differences in the episodic specificity of spontaneous thoughts using experimenter-based coding of thought descriptions. Additionally, we tested whether an episodic specificity induction, which increases episodic detail during deliberate retrieval of events in young and older adults, has the same effect under spontaneous retrieval. Twenty-four younger and 24 healthy older adults performed two counterbalanced sessions including a video, the episodic specificity or control induction, and a vigilance task. In the episodic specificity induction, participants recalled the details of the video while in the control they solved math exercises. The impact of this manipulation on the episodic specificity of spontaneous thoughts was assessed in the subsequent vigilance task, in which participants were randomly stopped to describe their thoughts and classify them as deliberate/spontaneous. We found no differences in episodic specificity between age groups in spontaneous thoughts, supporting the prediction that automatic retrieval attenuates the episodic specificity decrease in aging. The lack of age differences was present regardless of the induction, showing no interactions. For the induction, we also found no main effect, indicating that automatic retrieval bypasses event construction and accesses pre-stored events. Overall, our evidence suggests that spontaneous retrieval is a promising strategy to support episodic specificity in aging. |
publishDate |
2020 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2020 |
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
http://hdl.handle.net/10316/106573 http://hdl.handle.net/10316/106573 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237340 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10316/106573 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237340 |
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
1932-6203 |
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Public Library of Science |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Public Library of Science |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação instacron:RCAAP |
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Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação |
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RCAAP |
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RCAAP |
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Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
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Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
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Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação |
repository.mail.fl_str_mv |
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1799134118029557760 |